So the end of last week was spent being insanely busy, trying to get through a week's backlog in a few days flat. I managed to keep the damage to a minimum; I didn't ace my geology test, but I didn't do too badly, either, and while my essay on Roxana wasn't up to my usual standard, it could have been much worse. And my column for the college paper went on too long and perhaps should have covered different ground, but it, too, isn't bad for what it is. So, on the whole, things have been going better than I'd have had a right to expect.

LIVERMORE, Calif. (Reuters) - A speeding van carrying a family of eight flipped over and burst into flames, killing the mother and her six children, the California Highway Patrol said on Saturday.

A 38-year-old man, believed to be the father of the children, was listed in fair condition at a local hospital.

Police said the accident occurred Friday evening as the van sped down a country road in Livermore, about 35 miles east of San Francisco. CHP Sgt. Rick Luciano said the vehicle apparently blew a tire, sending it crashing into a tree and then skittering back across the road.

Which is also why I'm not going to try writing an entry just now. Instead, I'm finally going to post that survey I started working on a couple of months ago. I'd meant to refine it further before I let it loose, but, well, it's close enough. So, if you have an online journal, and would like an excuse not to come up with a new entry of your own, feel free to swipe the questions and answer any or all of them. Send me the URL, and I'll link to it. If you don't, feel free to e-mail me your response. My own answers will be put up in my next entry. (In a couple of cases, I'm curious to see what I'll answer myself.)

Here goes:

• The Simpsons or South Park?

• Root beer or cream soda?

• Arcade games: '80s or '90s?

• To be, or not to be?

• How do you like your toast?

• How has your name been misspelled?

• What's your favorite Monopoly property?

• What's your favorite Internet mailing list?

• If you could have any one superpower, what would it be? Why?

• When you write, do you prefer to work in silence, or with something (music, television, etc.) on in the background?

• You're a guest on Sesame Street, and they want you to sing a song with the Muppet(s) of your choice. Which song would you sing, and with whom?

• Choose two of the following, and suppose that they have joined forces in a corporate merger. Describe the resultant commercial:
  • Old Navy
  • Taco Bell
  • Tampax
  • Any car dealership
  • America Online
  • Pfizer
  • Any phone service

• Finally, this one's almost cliché by now, but what the heck... You have the opportunity to kill Hitler while he's still in the cradle. Do you do so, or not? Why or why not?